Star Fox: Squadron
by NothingExtra
Summary: A year after Command, Fox is hired to deal with unusual sightings near Kew. As anti-merc protests spread after an incident on Titania, and with an increasingly suspicious Army breathing down his neck, Fox needs to prove that he's not one of the bad guys. That's too bad, since he may have to hire a few. UPDATE: I'd suggest re-reading the last chapter before this new one. New stuff.
1. Prologue

**URGENT-GENERAL BULLETIN**

No. 1109-33

Headquarters, Department of the Army

C. City, Corneria, October 12, 1109

 **ASSIGNMENT OF FORCES FOR KEW UNDER EXTRASOLAR COMMAND STAFF CONTROL, ARMY**

 **1.** Effective immediately, units procured under the Hired Forces Agreement (HIFA) and assembled under the Cornerian Mercenary Command (COMEC) (Unit Designation (UD): MRC:-111,-112,-113) are placed under direct command of assigned general staff.

 **2.** Vetted and confirmed units to report to Macbeth Point. Purpose of deployment discreetly handled until arrival. Extrasolar Command Staff (EXCOST) (UD: CAB-100) will handle briefing.

 **3.** EXCOST will designate and distribute HIFA resources to handle occupation of Kew and assist in **REDACTED**REDACTED** neutralization.

 **4.** Location assignments for **REDACTED**REDACTED** will be split according to EXCOST, with COMEC remaining as major subordinate of EXCOST.

 **5.** Seizure of **REDACTED**REDACTED** by **REDACTED**REDACTED** will be monitored jointly by EXCOST and COMEC, with special care given to observing rate of growth.

 **6.** EXCOST will prioritize minimizing civilian casualties while also evaluating local cultural climate and public perception in order to gauge appropriate level of COMEC involvement.

[AFMP]

Irene T. Whittaker

 _General of the Army, Extrasolar Command Staff_

DISTRIBUTION: This bulletin is to be distributed immediately to all general staff acting as part of Cornerian Army deployment to Macbeth Point. Possession and/or distribution of this document outside of intended recipients can and will be prosecuted as a state-level crime.

* * *

 **Prologue**

The Squat Rock. Fort McDeath.

A single asteroid orbited several thousands of kilometers above Macbeth, bearing both these names.

Officially, people called it Point Macbeth: a former Venomian base built on a mined-out asteroid husk, reclaimed and rebranded by the Cornerian Army as a listening outpost and research site. Little buildings and artificial grooves dotted its surface, spread thinly across the pockmarked rock. The occupants 'enjoyed' a comfortable-ish three-quarters of simulated gravity, made by the asteroid's engineered spin.

Standing on the inner wall of the structure and looking straight up, you'd be facing the imaginary center that the structure spun around. What this means is that even though you felt pushed down and away from the center, everything moved in a circle around that point. Like a spot on a bicycle tire, you spun around the axle, moving sideways even though you felt pushed down. The Coriolis effect.

One ram figured this out as he threw up into the toilet.

Wearing a faded maroon Army utility uniform, the ram keeled over one more time, keeping his head a small distance to the side of the bowl. A mess on the opposite side came from his last effort. Coughing and heaving, the ram closed the lid and sat back down in the stall, rubbing his face. Pulling out strips of toilet paper, he wiped the stains that covered only one side of his mouth. Spitting out a few more bits into the vacuum disposal, he splashed his face with water from the sink and walked out the door, replacing the crumpled cap he held in one hand.

Licking his lips and swallowing several times, he made his way down the corridors, scowling. A green parrot saluted smartly as he passed, "Good morning, Pope, sir."

Pope barged past, grunting as he saluted back, quickly. The ram's stomach bothered him. The hospital corpsman already told him that he wasn't sick, and that he just needed to take a weak painkiller before getting back to his job.

He hated his job.

It all revolved around supervising the long-range systems on Point Macbeth: a combined set of LIDAR and thermal detection systems that could spot warships by sending lasers at specific target and bouncing them off the target so they'd get reflected back to a receiver on base. The reflected 'image' could let you see what a ship looked like, how fast it moved, and how fast it accelerated. The system also accounted for the time it took for the beam to travel to and from the target, since targets often appeared at distances greater than a million kilometers away, and the speed of light was only so fast. Thermals just let you spot heat signatures, like engines lighting up, or guns firing.

One more turn, and the ram entered a room filled with monitors and officers with maroon uniforms sitting in front of them. All wore thick headphones as they stared at their glowing blue screens. One black cat leaned back from his chair while flipping through a lingerie magazine. A uniformed meerkat wore slippers.

Rubbing his eyes one more time, the ram walked over to the nearest monitor, half-barking, half-groaning:

"Updates?"

"Sir," A lean gray horse looked up from his terminal, pulling one headphone away from his ear. Dark bags circled his reddened eyes,

"LIDAR at duct three kept getting a ghost image, but nothing consistent. Kept slipping away. It's probably not them, but..." The horse curled his lip, shrugging.

The ram gave him a look with yellowed eyes and a scowl, "...but we have to report it anyway, _I know,_ "

The ram's hands went back to rubbing his face. The meerkat looked back, rolled his eyes, and tapped the toes of his slippers against the wall. Reaching for his mug, he brought it to his mouth when his eyes focused on his own screen as it started to flicker.

He leaned in, mug in hand, as his eyes focused on the image in front of him. Turning back, he called over for the ram,

"Hey, hey, sir, I'm getting something here-"

Pope looked over, pulling his eyes away from the black cat's magazine. Pulling his cap up and scratching his forehead, he jogged over, looking over the meerkat's shoulder to see the image.

"It's faint. Six hundred thousand kilometers out, but it's there."

The ram paused, getting a feeling in his gut. A weak stirring. leaned over to see the image. He traced his finger over it, squinting, "...big as a _frisbee_ , isn't it? 'Course, may be stealthed, so it looks smaller on LIDAR _,_ but _still,"_

He scratched his cheek, sighing. This happened on and off for weeks already. A faint image popped up, flickered in place, then disappeared, several times a day. He already reported it to the brass. In response, they got brisk orders: to report the thing every time it happened, even if they thought it was a bug.

This happened roughly twenty times a day. For two months.

Replacing some parts in the LIDAR stopped it a bit, but it kept happening. The LIDAR detected friendly warships and civilians, too, but this one didn't appear on any roster Pope remembered.

The meerkat screwed up his face as the ram's breath wafted over his nose, but he said nothing. The ram looked over at the black cat with the magazine,

"Call up command. Tell 'em what's happening and put up an alert again. Ask for a fighter squadron to try and spook it. See if they can get a closer look before it runs away again. See if it's actually real."

The black cat turned back to his console, replacing his headphones as he spoke into them. The ram looked back at the screen, then froze as the meerkat spoke:

"Sir, it's coming _closer,_ " The meerkat's jaw dropped a little as the screen's image began to change. The little blue wire-frame displayed began to change shape, growing in size.

"The hell _-_?" The ram leaned in more, and others started to lean over to look, too: a fox looked up from his console, and a bear leaned over from his.

The feeling in Pope's gut flickered a little more.

Squinting again the ram spoke, slowly, "That...is _new,"_

The ram looked back to the black cat behind him, speaking, "Finks, ETA on that squadron?"

The cat faced him, pulling his face away from his screen, "Thirty minutes, sir. Patrol is on route. Five fighters."

"Too _long_ ," The ram growled as he looked back at the screen.

The meerkat spoke up again, shifting his jaw, "It's moving at five kilometers a second. No acceleration."

"Satellite? Maybe something someone forgot about?"

This question ran against Pope's hunch, but he asked it anyway. No need to get worked up if it's a false alarm.

"Uh-uh," The meerkat shook his head, "This thing's been disappearing and reappearing for the past two months _._ Weird intervals. Same approach each time. Not civilian. Civilians don't make ships that look like _that_."

" _Hm_ ," Pope snorted, then looked back at the screen. The feeling in his gut died down, smoldering like an ember. He stayed there, looking over the meerkat's shoulder. After a while, the rest of the staff returned to their jobs. Finks started flipping through his magazine again, and the ram started to yawn.

"BOOM!"

The meerkat shouted, and Pope jumped, startled. The rest of the room looked over again as the meerkat went on,

"We got a thermal image! Whatever she is, she just lit up her engines. Hello, _beautiful-!"_ The meerkat wore a wicked smile as the ram leaned in closer to see a reddish flare appear on screen.

"She's _accelerating,"_ The ram spoke softly, awed. The blip on the LIDAR was real. It was _actually_ real. The crew wasn't imagining it-it just lit up, in front of him. Not a malfunction, but a real, actual warship trying to hide from view. The weariness and frustration, built up in his face over the course of several weeks, vanished as he started to shout, "Ladies and gentlemen, we've got a live one! Full alert, people! Full alert!"

The ram clapped his hands, barking orders as alarms sounded. He looked back at the screen, licking his lips. The feeling, once dormant, sparked up again, building up like a fire. Pope felt his breath get faster, and his heart raced. Not dread...

...But _excitement_.

Chatter started to fill the room, and Finks spoke up again:

"Squadron says they're near. Barely see it, but they're near."

The ram spoke fast, snapping. Every ounce of nausea wiped away from his features: "Right! Tell them to give us a close image."

"Right, sir," Finks turned back to his console and spoke into his headset again.

"Damn! She can _move!_ " The meerkat spoke up, "She's accelerating away. She'll outrun the _squadron_ , at this rate."

The ram felt a knot form in his stomach. It couldn't get away. No, it _wouldn't_ get away. Not scot-free. Not without a fight.

"Well, we need a good look, at least, before she disappears again. Finks! Do they got it yet?"

"Not yet. Getting closer!"

"Shoot," The ram growled, "At this rate, it'll outrun the squadron before we even get a good picture _-_ " The knot grew tighter. The ship already made a mistake, yes, but he needed more proof. Something to confirm his hunch.

"She's getting faster!"

"Oh, _come on_!" The ram shouted, looking at Finks again, "Anything _yet_?!"

"Not yet!" The black cat snapped back.

Beads of sweat. Face contorted in rage. He couldn't let this asshole just _go_ like nothing happened. Not after he jerked them all around for _weeks_ on end-

"She's fading!"

The ram's blood turned to ice. His chance so close, he could _taste_ it.

"Damn it! _Now!?_ " The ram turned to yell back at the cat.

"NO!" The cat barked.

 _Please, please, oh come ON-!_

" _And_ , and, she's gone," The meerkat groaned, slumping in his chair and pointing an open hand at the screen.

The ram roared, slamming against the wall and letting himself slide down onto the ground. Swearing, he took off his cap and rubbed his temples, speaking aloud,

"Did they get _anything_?"

"Squadron got a visual, _before_ it disappeared," The cat slumped in his own chair, sighing.

A little flicker of hope. The ram swallowed.

"Recorded? And?"

The cat straightened up, looking grimly at the screen, "...It's not a _great_ one."

A long silence. Taking a deep breath the ram relaxed, then spoke:

"Well, that's that. Did everything we could. More importantly, though, whoever they are:"

The ram paused, with the smallest smile forming on his grizzled features:

"They've just made a _huge_ mistake."

* * *

Millions of kilometers away, in a portion of space far from civilization, a great ship held its position among several dark shapes.

Built like a long brick and solid black, with countless pinprick-small lights arranged in rows across its long nose, the great ship moved.

A great silvery orb grew out of the black monolith's midsection, locked in place by small pillars. Hex-shaped pockmarks littered the orb's surface like a great honeycomb. Massive engines pushed the ship as they glowed with a bright blue, moving the hulking mass towards a distant planet.

In the dark, the shapes began to stir. Decks flashed, with engines stirring one by one, like little beacons being lit. As the new ships woke, they lined up beside the great monolith, making a fleet.

As the fleet grew, the differences between ships grew starker: thin, angled white-and-blue starships prowled by great boxy reddish ones; small, tadpole-shaped ships swarmed by sleek, swept-wing machines in tight formation; one starship, larger than any other in the fleet save the monolith, flew up to the monolith's white orb.

As it came close long, spindly, hooked legs reached out of the honeycombs, probing into the dark. As it came within reach, the spindly legs arched, latching their hooked tips onto the starship's surface, like needles sinking into skin. Gently, slowly, the arms pulled the starship down until a long rubbery tube coiled out from the white orb, latching onto the smaller ship's midsection.

The starship, carried down by the spidery arms and latched into place by the lamprey-like tube, offered no resistance. Little shuttles flew from the honeycombs of the white orb, blue engines glowing like fireflies, passing to and from each of the other ships.

All at once, the white orb gave off an eerie glow: casting a faint veil, like an aurora grayed with age, over the whole fleet. The space around it shimmered, with the very edge of the veil rippling the darkness around it. The ripples smoothed, and the edge of the veil shrank. As the veil passed inwards, each ship within its fold disappeared, swallowed whole by the dark.

When the ships faded from view, one by one, the black monolith began to shimmer. Soon the veil it cast closed in on the monolith, too, and it began to dissolve from view.

As it started to vanish, it rumbled. A stuttering, halting, convulsion seized the ship as its image dissolved from sight, stopping and starting after short pauses until the last of its lights winked out from view.

For anyone not inclined to superstition, it looked like a metal cathedral, groaning under its weight.

For those who knew better, it looked like a laugh.

* * *

 _Author's Notes:_

 _This is what I felt my story was missing. Sorry for the confusion-I spent a long while mulling over how I really wanted this fic to start, and this turned out to be the best setup. Ride'll hopefully be much smoother from here on out._

 _-NothingExtra_


	2. Scratch

Chapter One

Scratch

* * *

Again.

Fox stood in front of the structure, hands in his pockets, as he looked at the granite silhouette of the Headquarters of the Cornerian Armed Forces. Three stories high and several blocks wide, the place looked physically imposing, with several columns aligned across its front and with each column being the width of a car. The dark brown front doors opened every now and then, letting out a guard or an officer. Scuffed and dented in spots, the doors sill gave a polished shine. Multiple Military Policemen stood guard around it.

Directly in front of the entrance, a brick trail led to a small fountain, placed in the middle of a grassy stretch of earth. The fountain held multiple sculptures, with one figure in the center in the shape of an five-pointed star, surrounded by several smaller statues of soldiers, marines, airmen, and sailors. They formed neat little clusters with small plaques right beneath them.

Back where he started.

"Sir, can I ask you to move?"

Ears twitching, Fox turned to see a tan-and-white husky in a blue uniform with a maroon beret and sunglasses. He had a small vest, complete with a little radio and the white label 'MP' emblazoned on its breast. He stood, thumbs in his pockets, with a serious expression.

"Oh, my bad," Fox stepped back, turning to face the MP.

Once the husky saw Fox's face, his eyebrows raised, and he spoke, eyes narrowing behind his sunglasses:

"Hey! You're Fox. Fox McCloud, right?"

The husky held up a pointed finger as he spoke, but then snapped it down quickly, reverting to his previous tone, "Uh- _sir._ Its interesting to meet you, sir."

A pause: "' _Interesting?_ '"

"Yeah. Interesting," The husky's expression remained neutral as he kept going, "Yeah, I'm sorry sir, but I gotta ask you to not stand in one place too long, or we'll have to do something about it. Them's the rules. Sorry, sir."

A few seconds passed before Fox replied, giving the guard a small nod.

"It's no problem at all. Just here to see a friend,"

"Thankee, sir," the husky gave a quick salute and walked off, leaving Fox at the front of the building.

Turning back to the building, Fox's took a deep breath. Beneath it, he softly muttered:

" _Long_ time ago."

* * *

Entering the building, Fox walked across the tiled floors towards a desk with metal detectors placed beside them. Across from the desk, a female bobcat stood in a maroon uniform with dark circles around her eyes. She typed into a small computer hidden behind the desk surface.

Without even glancing back up, she spoke, dryly, "Sorry, guy. Even heroes gotta show some ID and pre-schedule."

Fox tilted his head forwards, giving her a wry look as he pulled out his wallet. He looked down the moment the bobcat said 'hero', but said nothing.

Placing his ID onto the table, Fox leaned forward and began to scan the room as the bobcat picked it up.

"Right. Just gotta make sure you're on the roster, then I gotta get a photo. Shouldn't take long. Gimme a sec, sir."

As the bobcat began to type, Fox looked around the building as he leaned against the desk. The same granite stone colored the walls of the building, with glass cases and bronze plaques filling in the corridor walls and flags draping across the hallway arches. One long wall held several names, inscribed into the stone. At the wall's base several photos, flowers, flags, and candles sat arranged.

Along the opposite wall, a great mural stood, covered in images of troops and overshadowed by a great fleet above them. They ran over a hill, waving their comrades on as tanks rolled up from behind. Directly over them, fighters flew in formation. In one corner, a squadron of Arwings soared across the starry sky, between several large warships.

The lobby behind the desks bore the insignia of the Army on the rear wall: a big, five-pointed star. The names of each subset branch surrounded it: Navy, CDF, Marines, Land Force, Air Force. Beneath it, seats stood arranged in rows around a coffee table, with a massive carpet stretching out beneath it. Tucked into the upper corners of the rooms, televisions played news feeds, and the occasional security camera squatted on a wall, watching.

Only a few people waited in the lobby. One red falcon in civilian clothes stood, legs apart and wings behind his back as he watched the news feeds. Some messages played along the bottom of the screen as the newscaster talked:

TYVELL-SECURITIES FOLDS

TERROR ATTACK ON TITANIA: MERCENARY ACTIVITY ON RISE

BIOWEAPON THREAT: GONE FOR GOOD?

PIRATE SIGHTINGS INCREASE IN Y-SECTOR

NEW LEGISLATION FOR MERCENARY ACTIVITY EXPECTED TO PASS

One brown dog in a very dark uniform and a beret sat in one of the chairs with his arms folded. A small row of ribbons sat stacked on one side of his breast, with the other holding a name tag nestled amongst some patches. The dog leaned forwards in his chair, tapping his foot as he watched the television. Looking at him, Fox raised his eyebrows a bit and blinked.

The bobcat, seeing Fox's expression, snapped her fingers in his face, "Hey, we got you. You're...gonna go see Hare, down back there, east wing, L2.201."

She pointed down the hall with her thumb, past the mural, before bringing up a small plastic box, "You can put all your stuff into here, and we'll run it through. Take your picture after."

Fox took off his jacket and handed it over along with his wallet. As he passed through the metal detector, another guard, a black rabbit MP, walked towards Fox. As soon as he got close, Fox raised his arms, speaking,

"Fair warning: I'm armed. Got a license, left side."

The rabbit froze, stared at Fox for a solid five seconds, and then looked at Fox dead in the eyes, speaking drily:

"...If you were anyone else, _anyone_ , you'd be on the ground with a stun gun up your ass."

Fox shrugged, deadpan, "Hey, its your job, isn't it?"

A pause. Then a wry grin: "Yeah, missed you too."

Fox straightened up, and held his arms out, speaking faux-dramatically: "Do your worst, officer."

"I'll be gentle," the black guard patted Fox down with a smirk before reaching into Fox's gun holster. Checking the safety and the clip, he then put it in a box under the desk.

After the pat down, another MP, a wolf, began to smell Fox, head to foot.

Leaning his muzzle towards Fox's shoulder, he sniffed aggressively, "Arm up, please."

Fox, lifting one arm, watched with narrowed eyes as the guard smelled him. Pulling his head back, the wolf walked back to his terminal, commenting:

"Hmph. Smells nice for a change. Policy for licensed mercs is that you'll get your piece back after you leave. Sorry 'bout that."

Fox looked at him, smiling a bit, "Hey, don't worry about it, Jake."

The wolf looked up at him, smiling back: "Good to see ya, too, Fox."

Another guard handed back his jacket and wallet. After getting them back, Fox followed the rabbit past the hallway and around the corner to a small office, separated from the hallway by a single large window, where a blue wall stood before a camera on a tripod. The person behind the camera, a white cat officer looking at a magazine, looked up as Fox walked in. The cat squinted as he put away his magazine and adjusted the camera:

"Huh, another one."

Fox raised his eyebrows. Seeing the expression, the white cat waved him off, "Nothing. Nothing for _you_ to worry about, at least."

Taking the photo, Fox looked at the camera as the flash went off. Turning the camera around, the cat asked, flatly, "Good enough?"

Fox looked at the photo. In it, he saw himself in his white flight jacket, a faded red scarf, blue jeans, and scuffed brown boots. His rust-colored fur only interrupted by a white streak down the top of his head.

Nodding once, Fox looked back up at the cat as the cat walked off with the camera. The black rabbit stood guard at the door, and Fox was left to sit on a chair in the corner.

Leaning forwards, Fox sighed. He leaned over to look through the window down the hall. Craning his neck, he could still see the darkly-uniformed dog leaning forwards in his chair. Exhaling sharply between his lips, Fox sat back in his chair.

A year ago, Star Fox disbanded. Again. Slippy lived somewhere on Aquas, starting a family with his wife, Amanda. Peppy left long before: he accepted a position in the Army.

Falco disappeared the moment the war ended, flying towards the nearest solo job he could find.

Lucy, who actually enjoyed a brief stint as part of the team, left just as quickly. ROB still stuck around, but then again, it wasn't like he could leave.

Katt was the only exception: over the past year, she dropped in every few weeks to ask about Falco. Even though she said she only came to ask, Katt usually stuck around for days at a time, keeping him company. But then, that's Katt: she cared, even though she rarely said so. Out of everyone Fox talked to, she knew him the longest, barring Peppy.

ROB and Fox stuck around as the last ones left on the Great Fox II.

Alone, looking for jobs, and with barely enough to stay afloat, their status as mercenaries looked grim.

That only left Krystal.

Fox made a small grimace and tilted his head back, closing his eyes.

He let out a long sigh, swallowed, and rubbed his eyelids.

Sitting straight again, he blinked.

A _long_ time ago-

"Hey, ID's ready. Y'all can just head down now."

Fox looked up to see the white cat re-enetering the room with a small card in his hand. Standing, Fox gave the cat a quiet 'thank you' as he took the card. Surprised, the cat gave Fox a sidelong glance with narrowed eyes as he walked away. After the door closed the cat watched Fox walk down the hall. As he watched he paused, shrugged, and muttered,

"Hmph. Mercs."

* * *

Fox walked back, looking for the dog he saw before. Walking over he saw the same chair, empty. With a disappointed look, Fox stared at the seat for a while, before finally turning back to the hallway to the east wing. He cast one last look over his shoulder, then left.

Passing a few more people in uniform, Fox finally came across a single door:

L2.201

BRIGADIER-GENERAL P. HARE

CORNERIAN ARMY

MERCENARY NEGOTIATIONS

Leaning into the door, Fox hesitated. He noticed the window built into it, too opaque to see clearly through. Stepping back, he paused. A full minute passed before he took a deep breath and opened the door as he knocked it with one hand.

A room with dark walls and a green carpet floor stretched out in front of him, lit by bulbs that were stuck to ancient ceiling fans. A carved wooden desk sat in the middle of the room. Behind it, the flags of the Army, Corneria, and the base hung on their poles. A pair of big leather chairs stood in front of the desk, studded with brass and perching on small wooden legs.

A shelf nearby held a small bronze statue of an Arwing leaping off its pedestal. Next to it sat a weathered marble bust of General Pepper. Opposite the shelf, on the other wall, stood a great shelf of books, bound in worn leather and chipped gold filigree.

A window cast thin golden beams of light that scattered on the opposite wall, broken up by shuttered shades and lighting up little clouds of dust disturbed by the fans. Oak and leather smells filled the room.

Behind the desk, in a red uniform and with long, lanky ears perched above bushy whiskers, sat Peppy Hare, with a small digital tablet in his hand.

The moment the door opened, the old hare looked up, eyes wide. His whiskers twitched, and he opened his mouth, revealing his buck teeth. As he saw Fox standing in the hallway, he put down the tablet and waved him over with a big smile:

"Fox! I was starting to think you wouldn't come! Come on, sit down, sit down. Here, you look like you need something,"

Seeing him, Fox relaxed. He came forward as Peppy walked towards him, hand extended. After the handshake, Peppy pulled him in for a hug. At first, Fox pulled away a bit, but Peppy pulled him back in, half-growling: "Oh come on, Fox. You're a grown-ass man, you can take a hug. Especially from me."

Stepping back, Peppy reached under his desk and pulled up a bottle. Taking a pair of crystal glasses from behind the same desk, he filled one and offered it to Fox. Fox offered a small 'thanks' as he took the glass, filled to the middle with clear alchohol.

Taking a small gulp, he felt the stuff run past his teeth, down his throat, and felt his breath turn hot as the fumes ran up his nostrils. Swallowing, he licked his lips,

"S'not bad."

" _'Snot bad'_? Fox, I dropped three figures on this stuff. Worth every bit. Don't you dare say its just 'Snot bad', pfft."

Peppy scoffed at the end of the sentence, and drank half of his glass before sitting down behind his desk again. Fox walked, looking at the wall of books as he approached the window.

Peppy took a long, deep sigh, "Well, it's been a while, hasn't it?"

Fox gave him a look, then turned back to the window. He nodded.

"Well, Fox, I'm sorry I didn't send you a clearer message. I wanted to make sure you came in person."

"They know you're talking to me. I'm a merc."

"And talking to mercs is my job," Peppy adjusted his belt, and put down his drink. His tone changed, and became lower: "at least, for now."

The elderly hare's shoulders sagged, as he sighed. Pulling open his drawer, he pulled out some files, "I'm sorry I couldn't find a job for you for so long. Army's getting real... _stingy_...with everything that's happened lately."

He turned to Fox, who stood at the window. The vulpine spread the shutters a bit with his hands, peering through.

Beyond the shutters and a few stories down, a crowd gathered. Arranged in a line, their mouths opened and closed in a synchronized chant, though Fox couldn't hear it. They held signs, posters, and effigies while standing around a burning bonfire.

MERCS WANT YOUR BLOOD

NO CASH FOR FOREIGN TROOPS

CORPS FIRST, 'CORP.s' LAST

REMEMBER TITANIA

DOWN WITH STAR WOLF

BAN HIRED GUNS

NO BLOOD FOR SPIES OR FREELOADERS

One person, a thin wiry dog with rolled up sleeves, stood on a box with a microphone, as he chanted at the swaying crowd. Fox's eyes, though, focused on one thing: an effigy.

Gray paper-mache ears, a long muzzle, a series of grey feather-dusters wrapped together for a tail, and button eyes with one of them gouged out; all put together into a big ugly doll as big as a person. Colored gray and with a tattered brown duster, it bore a drawn-on scowl.

The crowd pulled down the effigy from its pole. Swarming over it, a half-dozen people took it, and began to swing it towards the bonfire.

With one last heave, they threw it onto the fire, cheering.

Fox's teeth clenched, and his fists balled up. His eyes widened again as he spotted another.

One more effigy stood in the crowd: a smaller, cruder one. This one had a lighter color, a tail made of a bundle of hay, tied together, and pointed ears. It wore a white jacket, and a little red scarf on its russet surface.

Fox's jaw dropped a bit as he watched the new effigy get dragged forwards. A single ferret carried it. Other protesters turned, and some began to argue with him. He shouted back, spittle flying off his lips as the leader of the group stepped off his box and waved him away, shaking his head.

The ferret kept pointing angrily at the rust-colored effigy. The dog kept shaking his head, waving him away.

Angrily, the ferret stormed off, dragging the effigy behind him. One protester threw an empty can at him as he turned to snarl once, then finally slunk off.

Fox relaxed visibly, sharply exhaling between his lips as his shoulders sagged a little.

"Fox?"

"Hm?" Fox turned back, bags under his eyes.

Giving Fox a knowing look, Peppy reached forward for the blinds and shut them, "I know what you're seeing out there. It won't help you to watch. They've been at it all month, and its gotten worse after what Star Wolf did."

Peppy sat back down, shaking his head, " _Wow,_ What they did... At that point I don't think I can blame them for being angry as hell. Titania's unforgivable."

"They're not just angry about that, though, it's mercs they're angry at." Fox stepped back towards the seat in front of Peppy, and sat down with a _thud_.

"They're angry at mercs, yes. But not all of them, mostly." Peppy hastily added the last words.

Fox looked up at him, smiling dryly, "Maybe, but I'm not sure they'll make exceptions for my group anymore."

He rested his head on one hand, "Star Wolf was barely legal, _barely_ , and now isn't. And how many mercs still submit for review like us?"

Fox took another breath, sighed, and leaned forwards, looking down at the floor, "Peppy, I'm giving it my best shot, but I can't make a living anymore. Not with this. Stuff's changing."

Peppy licked his lips, and for a moment, didn't respond. Then, bending down, he pulled up some files from an open drawer,

"You're right. Stuff's changed, but not completely. You've still got a chance with us-"

"You have a job?" Fox interrupted without looking up,

Peppy stopped, nodding and hesitating, "Well, kind of _._ "

"' _Kind of_?'" Fox snorted, "Well, I guess I can look forward to _kind of_ getting paid, right?"

"Hey, don't be an ass. I'm saving yours."

Fox stopped, looked up, and sighed, "Yeah, Peppy. I, uh, sorry 'bout that. It's been rough, and..."

He looked at the drink, "...and I may be starting to feel this stuff."

Peppy gave Fox a hard look for a while, before slowly relaxing his face and returning a small smile. He continued, if only a little more upbeat,

"Right, anyway, the job is to meet with an outpost on Fichina. Like I said, it's only _'kind of'_ a job because they're holding out on promises you until you do some things for them first."

Fox looked up, narrowing his eyes, "Details?"

Peppy shrugged, shaking his head, "I'm not supposed to tell you the details here. Policy. But I can tell you that you can go there, find out the details, and decline if they don't suit you. Location's in the file."

"Well, at this point, I'm not picky. I need to eat. So, I'll take that and head out," Fox reached for the folder as Peppy interrupted.

"Wait, hold on, the job needs a team. They won't let you on without," Peppy pressed a buttton, and the tablet gave a small ring as he typed in a message.

Fox's arm fell limply to his side as his jaw dropped. He squinted at Peppy, "Are you serious? You tell me this _now_? When I'm _broke_?"

"Hey, relax, I took care of that this morning. I figured you'd want familiar faces, so I've recruited some old friends for you. I hope you aren't gonna disappoint them,"

Peppy gave a sly smile as he watched some shadows appear on the other side of the door's window. His smile got bigger as he went on,

"They said they were happy to come."

A puzzled look washed over Fox's face, and he continued, "Alright Pep, I really appreciate the thought, but I can't just work with anybody. They've gotta know formations, Arwings, the rules of my outfit, and I'd need to do a whole screening thing to find just _one_. Falco's too flaky right now, Slippy's busy, and I'm not even sure if Katt would be interested since I can't get Falco aboard-"

Peppy said nothing as Fox kept speaking, but folded his hands as he smiled the same sly smile. He leaned over to look past Fox at the slowly opening door.

"-not to mention the fact that now I just have _one_ Arwing, and a spare for parts. So whoever signs up needs to bring their own _plane_. Friggin' _BYOP._ The Landmaster's trashed, and- _just what the hell are you smiling at_?"

Fox's irate look focused on Peppy as the hare's smile only grew. Without a word, and with a smile that could barely hold in its laughter, Peppy snapped his fingers at the two figures in the doorway.

Fox's ears twitched, and slowly, slowly, he looked over his shoulder as one of the figures spoke,

"Hey,"

In the doorway, forming a pair of bright silhouettes, stood a tall lynx and a short white spaniel. The lynx leaned against the doorway, while the dog waved with an open-mouthed smile. The lynx nodded upwards, once, speaking with a half-smile of her own,

"Long time, huh?"

* * *

The lynx sat in the rear of the cab as it moved. The inside held just two rows of seats, both facing each other. The dog sat beside Fox, and he sat across from the lynx.

She sported a white flight jacket, similar to Fox's, zipped up to her neck. With it, she wore a pair of green pants and a set of brown boots. A single large gold ring pierced her left ear.

Like all lynxes, she had catlike features, but carried a pair of great black sail-shaped ears and a series of intricate markings from the top of her head down to her brow, like wispy black arrows. They also extended past the back of her head, down the nape of her neck. Bluish eyes, almost violet-colored, watched the city pass by.

The white dog, a spaniel, wore an orange flight suit, complete with her own set of brown shoes. Streaked with folds, wrinkles, and faded spots it bore a small name tag: _F. Spaniel_. On her right ear she wore a bright red bow.

The dog had a small, narrow muzzle, and her ears hung low. They extended down to her shoulders, with trailing wisps of fur barely touching her suit. Fay's eyes, deep blue, looked at Fox as they talked.

The lynx looked out the window during the conversation, but still listened. The spaniel spoke fast, excitedly:

"...so Peppy told us about your problems, and well, we kinda thought he was joking, since, well, y'know we all kinda split up when Andross went underground the _first_ time, so me and Miyu were kinda iffy on the whole thing; but then again, we both _really_ need jobs right now and honestly I don't think I can remember a single team we were ever a part of where the team was actually _good_ , except for, y'know, _Star Fox_ , and after we figured out that Peppy could help us bring our interceptors along to your ship we had a hard time turning him down, and that was when we heard you _really_ needed help and after that, well, we couldn't just say _no_ or..."

The fox nodded as he listened, watching the dog's expression as she went through every detail. Bright eyes, peppy voice, and the most bubbly attitude you've ever seen. Fay just looked _happy_. As she spoke, she used her hands: little black gloves moving and pointing as she talked. Every now and then, the fox gave a one or two-word answer before she kept going.

Miyu turned away a little from the window to watch as they talked. She smiled a bit.

 _How long since I saw the whole team? A decade? More? And out of nowhere, we're getting back together again. Feels almost too good to be true-_

 _No._

Miyu shook her head a bit.

 _No. This is real. Real, just like the team._

Leaning back and closing her eyes, Miyu pictured the group when she last remembered it. Fox, Falco, Peppy, Slippy, Fay, and...herself.

Opening her eyes again, she let out a slow exhale. Fox picked Fay and herself up back on Macbeth during the Lylat Civil War. Seeing their skills, Fox offered them a spot. It was supposed to be temporary, but they stuck around.

Miyu rubbed her eyes with a hand covered by a fingerless glove. When she opened them up, she looked back at Fay as she kept talking.

 _At this rate she'll take up all the air in the cab,_ Miyu thought with a smirk.

Taking a moment to see Fox's expression, she mentally noted everything different.

Looking at him from head to foot, she snorted a bit. Fox still wore the same damned outfit. A worn jacket, red scarf, and denim pants. Worn in some spots, frayed in others.

His face looked slightly different. Ten years ago, Fox wouldn't have let his fur get as ruffled, or let the bags under his eyes get so big, but he still wore that same calm look. More than anything, though, his features looked worn. Tired.

Then he smiled. Big grin, laughing a little at what Fay just said. Seeing this, Miyu smiled a little, too. He's still Fox. And honestly? She missed him.

Tilting her head back again, Miyu looked at the ceiling.

Yeah, she missed him. She missed Peppy. She missed Slippy. She even missed Falco. Of all people, _Falco:_ The flying, fast-talking sack of feathery crap. Everything they lived through felt so far away, but memories came back, bit by bit: Macbeth, Sargasso, Y-sector, X-sector, Katina, Aquas, and... _Venom_.

She felt an involuntary tic in her jaw. Moving it, she looked like she was yawning. Fox noticed her, and his smile disappeared. Narrowing his eyes, he stared at her. Lifting a finger, he pointed at her mouth, "What's that?"

Miyu stopped, put her hand on her mouth, and stared at him blankly: "What?"

Fox leaned in a little more, staring at her jaw. He pointed at a little spot between her lower jaw and her cheek, barely visible, " _That_. The seam, _there_."

Fay piped up, "Oh, that's where Miyu-"

"-it's fine.," Miyu finished before Fay could say anything else.

Fox narrowed his eyes, "...what happened?"

"Well, uh...it was...uh," Miyu scratched her jaw a bit, trying to find the right words,

"I, kinda got shot."

Fox paused, blinking. He spoke again, this time a little more softly, but still having an edge: " _Kinda?_ "

"I'm fine," Miyu spoke slowly, awkwardly, "It was a long time ago. I'm okay."

"You were shot in the face...And you're okay?" Fox spoke slowly, leaning his elbows on his knees with his eyes narrowed and mouth slightly open.

"Yeah. Jaw replacement. See?" Miyu tilted her head upwards a little and traced a thin seam along her neck with her claw. Barely visible, it was only marked by the slightest change in fur color on her face, "They did a pretty good job."

Fox still had the same half-shocked, half-deadpan expression, "...I'm still trying to get over the fact that you were shot. In the head. And you're still here."

Fay spoke, keeping a serious look, mostly: "Yeah, well, let's be honest: if Miyu can live through being shot down in space, she can live through being shot in the head. If you wanted to kill her you'd need, like, a tank. To shoot her in the face. Point blank. And for Miyu, that's pretty much just a fifty-fifty shot of maybe giving her a love tap,"

Fox looked at Miyu, stunned, "Well. Damn. I'm glad to still have you around. Maybe this time you'll learn how to dodge, though."

Miyu shot him a sardonic look, "Barrel roll? _"_

Fox chuckled a little, before asking again, "Seriously, though. You okay?"

Miyu relaxed, leaning back with the smallest smile.

 _Yep, still the same Fox._

"Yeah. Thanks for asking, though."


	3. Debts

Chapter Two

Debts

* * *

Miyu stood at the bridge of the _Great Fox_ _2_ , leaning on the rails, surrounded by bundles of wires, empty chairs and weathered consoles. A large screen took up the space in front of her, showing a swirling galaxy, peppered with billowing nebulae.

The lynx knew just about every planet in the Lylat system. The 'system' included Corneria, which orbited Sol, and the numerous other planets in neighboring solar systems.

"Kew, though."

Miyu rolled the name off her tongue into the open air. A new colony, near where the Aparoids once set up shop. Corneria wanted it defended, so they asked Star Fox to help the strained fleet nearby.

At least, that's all they told Fox. Miyu remembered how Fox's expression remained neutral through almost the whole description of the job. Almost.

When he said that the Army was still withholding information until the team actually committed, Fox looked apprehensive. He gritted his teeth and tapped his fingers as he talked about it.

Miyu paused, thinking about what it would be like to fly in Star Fox with only three fighters. She grimaced.

The memories of her job as a pilot escort for a Katinese diplomat came back, full force. Macbeth chewed people up, then spat them out: even with a squadron of twelve, plus Fay, she remembered flying sorties just to ward off pirate skiffs that got just a little too bold.

The ones that actually decided to attack, though...

Miyu's hands clenched on the railing, as she remembered the dogfights.

Intense memories. The rush of chasing down another pilot; the satisfaction of getting a hit; the cold, exhilarating terror of being tailed, alarms blaring as the other pilot searched for a lock-on. More than anything, it just felt exciting. Miyu's teeth chattered as she remembered the maneuvers, the rolls, the immelmanns: all just to make sure the other pilot didn't do to you what you planned to do back...

A deep breath. Miyu knew this feeling already. She loved it. She loved flying. Fighting, too.

 _But with just three pilots?_

A feeling like a cold stone sinking into her stomach made her feel nauseous. Three wouldn't cut it. For a job like bolstering a military escort, they'd need a whole squadron.

"STAR. CRAFT. IN. BOUND."

Miyu's ears perked as she heard the ship's sluggish monotone. Hearing the announcement, she narrowed her eyes. Her blood ran ice-cold when she heard the next announcement.

"IN. VAY. DER. CLASS. THREE. DEE. TECH. TE-"

"Yeah, yeah, that's enough, ROB. Relax,"

Fox's voice rang out, made tinny by the speakers. Miyu calmed down a bit. Her ears un-flattened themselves by half an inch. He continued, drowning out the rest of the ship's monotone announcement,

"Everybody just relax. This is just our next wingmate. Meet up in the hangar so y'all can meet. That means you, too, Fay."

A groan came out over the speakers,

"Really? You put me all the way up on cramped-ass engine duty, then call me down right as I'm fixing your garbage. You're a real slave-driver, Fox."

"Be glad I don't have a whip."

A derisive snort came from the speakers as Miyu shook her head. Fay didn't change.

She looked around the ship one more time as she passed through the hallway. Pausing to look again at the picture of the swirling galaxy on the screen at the far end of the room, she scowled a little.

 _Everything else did, though._

* * *

The Invader-class Three looked like someone took an arrowhead and stretched it out long enough for it to hold a missile rack. Painted a gaudy orange and maroon, its black cockpit shone as it entered the hangar bay. Its main engines were off, and robotic guiding arms extended from the hangar roof, easing the fighter in. Fox, Miyu, and Fay all stood waiting, watching the fighter slowly land.

"Gangway! Katt comin' through!...Move it, toaster-boy."

The Great Fox's speakers rang out with the sound of the new pilot's voice, and a large four-legged loading robot slowly left the spot directly beneath the fighter.

Miyu narrowed her eyes at the incoming fighter, pressing her tongue against the inside of her mouth. Fay folded her arms while tapping her foot. Fox approached the ship as it slowly landed onto the guide rails in the hangar floor. The cockpit let out a hiss, opening to reveal a narrow seat and a single bright pink cat. She wore a yellow shirt and a red leather jacket, complete with denim pants and sunglasses. As she unbuckled herself from her seat, she stood, shoes on each edge of the cockpit's opening.

Pulling off her wire-thin headset and letting it drop into the cockpit, she put her hands on her hips and pursed her lips, looking around. Looking directly at the trio of pilots in front of her, she spoke, loudly,

"Okay! I heard you needed a pirate exterminator."

Fox made a half-smile, lowering his eyelids. As Katt slid off the fighter's smooth side, Fox offered a hand forward. Taking off her sunglasses she eyeballed Fox's hand, looked up at his face, smirked, and gave him a bear hug. Fox tensed a bit as she hugged, then relaxed, returning it.

"Love ya, Foxy boy. No handshakes for you-don't care if people are watching. So,"

Putting her sunglasses away, she turned around to face the lynx and the white dog, "Who's the new crew?"

Before Miyu could speak, Fay piped up, "Hiya! I'm Fay! Engineer, but I fly, too. This is Miyu. Doesn't talk much, but also flies, kinda."

Miyu rolled her eyes as Fay spoke. Fox stepped back, checking his watch: an old silver one with moving hands: "We're gonna hit Macbeth soon, then we'll warp from there to Kew. So far, though, this is it..."

Fox looked up to each of the new pilots, speaking with a small smile, "The new Star Fox."

"...huh, estrogen." Katt spoke, looking around.

Fox gave her a look, and she shrugged, "What? Don't get me wrong, it's a nice change. Better than what Star Wolf's been for a decade straight. Although..."

Katt smiled, biting the end of her sunglasses, "'Straight's' a bit of a stretch, really."

Fay snorted, and Miyu made a deadpan look. Fox turned back, speaking,

"Alright, since we spent most of our time just getting all of our stuff organized, Katt?"

Katt turned to him, "Yo."

"Could you give them the tour? I gotta clear some things up before we actually hit Macbeth,"

"Sure! I'll even show them where we hide the dirty magazines."

"Missed you too, Katt."

* * *

They moved down the narrow hallway, passing bulkheads and automatic doors as Katt spoke. Fay leaned forwards, listening intently. Miyu's eyes wandered, taking in every detail.

"Yeah, I know it's not what you're used to, but she's an all right ship," The doors slid open as Katt spoke, revealing a room with multiple wall sockets, holes with grates, and bundles of wires bound tightly to the wall edges. A single large screen hung on the wall with a couch in front of it. A small L-shaped countertop paired with some barstools stretched from one wall. The other side of the room held a broad table surrounded with chairs.

"This is _supposed_ to be the rec room," Katt emphasized the word, pursing the lips as she walked around.

"Careful where you step. This used to be a place for computers and warship hardware before they got stripped and sold off. Some holes still need to be covered up..." Katt continued, with Fay looking at the screen.

Miyu's eyes kept wandering, with a small frown starting to form on her face.

The place looked pitiful. She couldn't phrase it any other way. Looking at the countertop, she saw the cabinet behind it. As she walked forward, she stubbed the toe of her shoe against the barstool. It didn't budge. Bolted in place.

Not a surprise, since starships dealt with weightlessness regularly. Even though the ship carried G-diffusers, the navy still took precautions. Without the diffusers, anything not held down worked as a hazard during high-speed maneuvers. Since the objects inside reach the same velocity as the ship, and since the ship usually changed directions, the objects wound up flying into the walls.

At two thousand kilometers a second, too.

Opening the cabinet the lynx saw rows of bottles and cans, held firmly in place with plastic clamps. Miyu quietly mulled over the idea of a whiskey bottle flying at one percent light speed into a bulkhead. Fast enough to punch a hole though metal.

Maybe a sailor died from that, at one point. ' _Here lies Seaman Steve. Creamed by physics.'_

"...some stuff was salvaged from the original Great Fox. It's not really the same, though." Katt kept going, putting her hands in her pockets as Fay inspected the couch. Miyu's eyes caught on one thing: a jukebox by the screen.

The moment she saw it, she froze.

Carved wood paneled the front, and bright neon yellows and reds arced across the top. Looking into the glass window on its front, Miyu saw the insides: a series of disks, small motors and lever parts. All of them carried restraints to hold them down. Someone already covered the coin slot with a metal strip.

Miyu walked towards it, slowly. Her gaze softened, and her mouth opened a little. Reaching out a hand, she ran it across the top of the machine, checking the dents, scratches, and holes. Letting the hand run down the front, her finger settled on a button. After a pause, she pressed it in.

The moment she did, the jukebox lit up, playing. Screeching guitars and snapping percussions filled the room as a voice started to howl from the speakers. The moment it started, Katt stopped talking. Fay looked over, surprised.

Screwing up her face, Katt looked at Miyu, "Don't tell me you actually listen to that stuff."

Miyu stared at the machine as it played for a few seconds. Startled by Katt's interruption, she looked up, "Uh, no. I just...wondered if it still worked."

For a second, Katt looked at Miyu's eyes, staring. Immediately after, she strode over and shut the machine off by clicking a switch added to its side,

"Ugh. You're almost as bad as Fox. He loves this stuff. Falco, too, kinda. This thing always played on the Great Fox. Terrible. "

Stepping back to another door at the other end of the room, Katt walked through. Fay and Miyu followed her.

The moment the lynx walked through the door, she stopped, resting a hand on the wall. Turning around, she looked back.

Her eyes stared, unfocused, at the rec room. A faint expression washed over her face, and her ears started to flick.

A call interrupted her from the hallway:

"I don't have all day! Come on!"

Snapping out of it, Miyu turned towards the corridor. Casting one last look at the room, she jogged away.

* * *

The ship carried two sets of catapults: electromagnetic rails and couplings that latched onto a fighter and launched it at high speed out of the ship's front. This let pilots keep their fusion torch engines cold until they traveled a safe distance from the ship. Since the plasma flare of a typical fighter engine stood at a surface-of-the-sun million-degrees, people usually agreed that the main engine needed to be 'lit' outside.

Two fighters perched at the starts of the catapults. While thinner and longer, they looked like the original Arwings. Their noses forked into two points, like fangs. The engines, tucked like big blue footballs to either side of the fuselage, bore long thin wings that stretched outwards from each, tapering to points like the edges of an arrowhead.

The 'start' of each catapult looked more intricate. Multiple sets of rails hung overhead, linked by a rotating mechanism that looked like a wheel. One 'wheel' to each catapult. Like the chambers of a revolver, each wheel carried enough rail sets for another five fighters. One already perched overhead, next to its cousin: a skeletal husk of metal plates and bare engines next to a fully-assembled blue-and-white craft. A third fighter, Katt's Invader, perched beside them.

Beneath the hanging fighters, a long floor extended from one end of the craft to the other. Machines, racks of ammunition, and boxes of spare parts littered the sides and floors, all with restraints to hold them down. Crates lined the walls, held in place by thick nets, and surrounded by rubbery pads. A solitary robot trudged around on massive hydraulics, checking the crates with clamp-shaped arms. Half a tank was strapped to one end of the floor, both its wheels and turret missing.

Standing before it all, Katt extended her arms, facing the front of the carrier. Miyu and Fay stood behind her, with Miyu leaning against the wall as Katt spoke,

"Well, that's the ship,"

Turning back, she kept going, "We actually do a ton of stuff here, too. We got some balls in one of the crates, so you can set up a basketball game with the poles over there,"

Katt pointed at two poles, bolted to the floor, with rings extending from their tops, "Peppy's guys did that. We kept it. Also, you might wanna check your craft. The navy does good, but I'd still check anyway. Also-"

She turned around, putting her sunglasses back on, "-I forgot to ask, but what'd you do before joining up with Star Fox?"

"Oh, we were already part of it, but we had to leave when Andross disappeared the first time. Been jumping around from place to place, looking for a job."

The pink cat paused. Then spoke, a little more slowly, frowning,

"...You left already?"

Fay, seeing Katt's new expression, answered quickly,

"Well, we weren't supposed to be permanent pilots, our contract ended-"

"But you both were part of the group, right? Officially? Both certified Star Fox pilots?"

The air grew tense. Miyu stirred, standing up and watching Katt with narrowed eyes and flattened ears.

Fay stuttered for a few moments, making small noises and scratching her ears. After a while, she answered,

"...Well, yeah, but..."

Miyu looked at Katt's sunglasses. Solid black. Katt kept the same expression. Then she spoke,

"...I see."

A long pause, before Katt sighed, scratched the back of her head and said,

"Well, I'll see you around then."

Katt then left, pink tail flicking behind her as she strode off out of sight. Fay turned to Miyu with a confused look, "...The heck was that?"

Miyu probed her cheek with her tongue, eyes narrowed at the pink cat as she stalked away. Turning back, she saw the robot approach.

The robot moved on a set of four hydraulic legs, making a whirr and a clank with each step. A little camera on its undercarriage rotated in place before it made a sound: a halting monotone voice, pausing between each modulated syllable.

"GREE. TINGS. I. AM. ROB. SIX. TEA. FOUR...ALL. CRAFT. ACK. COUNT. ED. FOUR."

Fay and Miyu stared, open-mouthed at the massive robot. Massive hydraulic claws mounted on four broad legs, twice as tall as the lynx. After a few seconds of dumbstruck silence, Fay spoke,

"...ROB?"

"I. AM. ROB. SIX. TEA. FOUR...CON. FIRM. ING. DUE. TEASE...DES. IG. NATE. ED. MAIN. TEN. ANTS. DROID."

The little camera turned, scanning the pair in front of it.

"SEARCH. ING. REDGE. IS. TER... EYE. DEE. CON. FIRM. AY. SHUN...ME. YOU. LINKS...FAY. SPAN. YELL...US. SIGN. MEANT. CON. FIRMED...MAIN. TEN. ANTS. UN. DER. WAY."

With a cyclical hissing and clunking, the massive loader clunked off towards the wall. Fay watched with a broad smile as she saw ROB move towards the fighter craft, extending a tiny, wire-lined limb into a console. As it plugged itself in, it crouched and held still.

Miyu furrowed her brow. She recognized the name, but not the body. As she focused on the machine, Fay tapped her arm,

"Well. Barring the pink issue, first impressions?"

Miyu looked at her, and said nothing. Looking back down, she scratched her head and bit her lip, speaking slowly,

"I...need to think about it," she focused on something in the distance. Fay saw her, traced her gaze and then stepped back, shaking her head.

The white dog jogged over to a box on the wall. She returned with a basketball in her hand. She bounced it on the ground a few times before she gave Miyu a sly look: smiling with one lip bit, "Would a pickup game help?"

Miyu watched the little white dog spin the ball on her finger. The lynx wore a suspicious look with a small frown and narrowed eyes, "...you cheat."

"No I don't."

Miyu gave her a look.

"...Miyu, do you really think I'd cheat? Against you?"

No change.

"...Oh, come on, that wasn't cheating, it was house rules."

No dice.

"...you knew them already, anyway-"

A squint.

"Well fine," Fay huffed as she turned to ROB.

"Hey, Robbie! Can you watch our game?! Record it for us?!" she called from across the floor.

ROB's little camera swiveled, and the monotone voice returned, "RE. CORD. ING. ON."

"All right, then," Fay dropped the ball and started to undo the top of her flight suit, revealing a thin white shirt underneath. Little straps showed at the tops of her shoulders as she tied the sleeves of her flight suit around her waist. Small arms moved smaller fingers as she took off her fingerless gloves.

"If you don't think I play fair, you can ask ROB after. You in?"

Miyu kept her eyes narrowed, folding her arms and pressing her tongue against her cheek. Fay tucked the ball under her arm and held up the other, craning her head, "Well?"

Miyu kept the same expression, with one cheek sucked in a little. With a small 'huh' sound, Miyu took off her jacket, revealing a green shirt with short sleeves. Muscles moved subtly as she balled it up. Dropping the jacket, she walked forwards with a wry expression.

Fay started to smile slyly again, "Couldn't resist, huh?"

No words. Miyu walked slowly, her footsteps echoing across the floor as she approached the point between the hoops. Fay responded as the lynx reached the center.

"I kinda feel bad. Four in a row really isn't fair, is it?"

The lynx spread her arms and took a stance with her legs apart. The smile grew a little. One word.

"Try."

* * *

Far away from the hangar, inside the cramped quarters reserved for the ship captain, Fox McCloud sat at a desk barely wide enough to fit both his legs under.

The rest of the cabin fared little better: torn-up carpet floors, exposed wiring, chipped wood paneling surrounding the tiny space around him, and bathroom stall the size of a closet stood a foot away from his desk. Fox focused on a single holographic screen, the only source of light in the darkened room, as he rubbed his forehead with one hand.

He left his jacket on his bed, and the light from the screen silhouetted his thin frame, made more prominent by his plain clothes. He wore a loose Space Dynamics shirt with worn grey shorts, serving as makeshift pajamas.

With a sharp breath inwards, Fox thought about everything that happened so far to put him there.

First, the Great Fox II: the debt from the first hadn't even been paid off before it was blown up into a cloud of scrap the size of a mountain range, and now he had the loan for the new ship, on top of the old one, to pay off.

 _So there's_ _that_ , Fox thought acerbically.

Second, he staked out another loan for fuel: deuterium-tritium reactors weren't cheap.

Third, he ran a squadron currently at half-strength. They could fly, yeah, and the ammo for their fighters was plentiful-ish, but their armory was stripped of everything except a single broken pistol, some tape, and a wad of cobwebs big enough to fit into the Arwing's guns.

 _Maybe I could shoot it at someone. Who knows, really?_

The extra Arwing got crippled by a broken crane shaft after a loading accident on the Aquas marine base, and now served as a spare for parts. A Landmaster lay scrapped in the hangar with puncture holes big enough to stick your head through and think about what exactly happened in your life to convince you to drive tanks for a living.

On top of that, their PR was shot. Public attention helped him get jobs, but now, Star Fox just didn't make news.

 _Well, not **good** news,_ Fox scowled.

Pushing the thought out of his mind, he came back to thinking about his finaces.

 _Yeah, that's a better topic_ , Fox made a wry half-smile.

Star Fox worked for years on budgets that only got slimmer over time. As the crew shrank, things got cheaper, but then people thought twice about hiring Star Fox, especially when it was 'only that one guy and a beat-up plane, though'.

With that, there was his former crew, all of which recently split up. Again.

Fox remembered the outcome of the Anglar Blitz, tensed up, and sighed.

They split the reward with Star Wolf, who helped the team. Krystal left Star Fox at the same time, choosing to join up with Wolf's crew. Fox never heard from her since.

After feeling a knot form in his chest, like a little hollowed-out space beneath his heart that slowly crept upwards, he shook his head, moving on.

In all, Fox ran a broken ship, a starved armory, a last-minute crew, and enough debt to make the government of Venom blush pure crimson. Even after blacking out against Andross, breaking his ribs against Scales, losing an entire warship against the Aparoids, and having his team fall apart for the third time-

 ** _You couldn't hold it together if you tried._**

Fox paused. He felt his veins freeze, crawling under his skin. The words came out of nowhere, echoing in his mind.

He didn't remember if anyone told him those words, or if he just imagined them, but they came from inside his head-

 ** _You run a failed team._**

Fox stopped, letting his breath out slowly. The words cut deep.

Deep enough to make him feel angry...

 _ **.** **..l** **ike a failed leader.**_

 _Thud, thud, thud._

Fox blinked, rubbing his eyes. The memories dissolved away under the sound of the knock at the door. Standing up quickly, he jogged over to the little bathroom stall in the side of his room and turned on the faucet. Splashing water on his face, he turned his head, shouting,

"Hold on, I'm in the bathroom."

Looking up into the mirror, he checked his eyes. Blinking, and wiping his face off with his arm, he turned his head and shouted again,

"Come in. It's not locked."

Katt walked in the moment the door slid open. She left her red jacket and sunglasses behind, and now only carried her yellow shirt and jeans.

"Hey, uh, Fox? Can we talk about this next job? I just want to- _whoa-"_

The moment she saw his face, she stopped mid-sentence. Looking at him from head to foot, she spoke softly,

"You look awful."

Fox stopped, looked up, then waved Katt over to his desk. Stepping in after him, she looked around, eyes tracing his room. Pulling up the file Peppy gave him, Fox opened it up and handed it to her, speaking tiredly:

"Here, just take a look."

Picking it up, Katt browsed through the contents. Her eyes settled on a single picture, near the bottom. A brown planet.

"Peppy wants us to run security detail and help investigate some strange sightings on Corneria's border colony, Kew. Army's not in great shape, so they asked a bunch of mercenaries to help. What bothers me, though, is this,"

Fox went to his desk with Katt following him. He leaned over, opening up some sites with news headlines plastered all over the screens:

MYSTERY SHIP SIGHTINGS NEAR KEW COLONY

VENOMIAN BUNKERS DISCOVERED ON KEW

PIRATE ATTACKS ON KEW INCREASE

KEW SECURITY BREACHED FOR THIRD CONSECUTIVE MONTH

Katt's eyes read through each headline as Fox kept talking,

"Kew's already in bad shape, and it's the new popular pirate target. We barely have enough resources to fly, and we only just got a team together. On top of that, we don't even know all the details: the Army's holding out on us until we actually get there."

Still looking at the screen, his expression darkened, "In the shape we're in, I'm afraid that we may be biting off more than we can chew. But again, in the shape that we're in, I literally _can't afford_ to refuse. This is the only job with high enough pay to keep us afloat."

Putting the file down, Katt looked at Fox. Seeing his face her gaze softened. After a pause, she asked, quietly,

"Fox, are you okay?"

Fox looked up, seeing her concerned expression. Relaxing a little, and with a sigh, he spoke, candidly:

"...No. No, I'm not okay. The team's hanging on by a thread, and if we can't pull through this time..."

He paused. For a short while, he said nothing. Then, he relaxed, smiling a small smile:

"...well, we'll pull through. Always have."

The smile grew bigger, with his green eyes glinting in the dark, "Because right now? We got a shot. But only if we work our tails off. And only if our employer's actually got reasonable terms."

"What if he doesn't?"

"Then I'll kick his ass until he gives me some."

Hearing the reply, Katt's expression lit up as she smiled broadly. Putting a hand on his shoulder, she spoke with an open-mouthed smile,

"Fox..."

The smile softened, and she spoke warmly,

"...I'm glad you're back,...but-!"

Stepping back, shrugging, she continued,

"-I still think your team owes me lunch. From me saving your tail like, what? Three times? All in one war?"

She made a smug grin. Lowering his eyelids, Fox snorted,

"Fine. But that's after we hit Macbeth. We can do a little shore leave, but I'm on a budget. Sound good?"

"Sounds like a plan, cap'n," Katt whirled around, making a lazy salute as she walked out the door.

"Oh, and before I forget:"

Katt poked her head in one more time,

"Tell Falco we're on a secret mission. Just so he knows he's missing out _,_ "

She smiled sweetly at the last words, and Fox chuckled, "I'll pass it along."

"Right! Seeyaround, Fox! We are gonna kick _so_ much tail."

Katt nodded upwards as she turned back into the hallway, striding away. Looking at her, Fox felt better.

For the first time in a long time, Fox felt confident.

For once.

* * *

 _Author's Notes:_

 _It's finally done! Now, I've got a pretty good roadmap for this story, and it's all thanks to everyone who's reviewed._

 _Thanks again._

 _-NothingExtra_


	4. Memory

Chapter Three

Memory

* * *

 _A blue vixen sat at the table of the Great Fox's galley. She wore a thick, frayed black sweater and cargo pants with unlaced combat boots. Her tail, long and blue with intricate white markings, swayed fitfully. Books and holographic tablets sat in piles around her, with the only light coming from the galley roof. The hallways at either end stayed dark. For the past few hours the blue fox sat, legs crossed, on a chair as she leafed through different books. Every now and then she'd drop a book, pick up one of the holographic tablets, and type in a word or two. After she typed, titles, images, and paragraphs would appear in neat little rows. Perusing them, she'd press her fingers to the side every few minutes, across the front of the screen, sending the contents of her search away as her eyes flickered over each new result._

 _"Krys? Krystal?"_

 _A voice came from one of the hallways. The vixen looked up, startled, and quickly shut down the tablet. She picked up one of the other books, and opened it to a random page, resting her arm on one hand as she adopted a bored expression. The figure came out: a red fox with a white flight jacket and a red scarf. Looking up, with the same bored expression that she adopted only minutes ago, she spoke, tiredly:_

 _"Huh? Oh. Hey."_

 _The red fox looked over the piles of books, let out a low whistle, then responded, "Hey."_

 _For a short while, no one said anything. The blue vixen flipped a few pages absent-mindedly, and the red fox opened his mouth to speak. After a few uncertain noises, he shut his mouth, scratching the back of his head. Looking up, the vixen saw his expression, and asked,_

 _"...What is it?"_

 _Another few seconds passed, and the red fox asked a question, slowly:_

 _"Is it true?"_

 _The vixen turned her head to look directly at him as suspicion slowly etched itself onto her features. She made one query, a single unsure note:_

 _"Huh?"_

 _The red fox looked uncomfortable. He wrung his hands. After some more uncertain sounds, he spoke again slowly, choosing his words carefully,_

 _"Is what that guy said about you, true?"_

 _"...What do you mean?"_ _Krystal narrowed her eyes. She put down her book, not even marking the page. The red fox continued, only growing more and more nervous with each new response from the blue vixen:_

 _"The telepathy, it's not the only thing you can do, is it?"_

 _Several heartbeats passed. For a while, Krystal said nothing as her expression darkened. She stood up, picking up several books while also not forgetting the tablet she used. She spoke, tersely, almost embarrassed:_

 _"Not now, Fox. I can't deal with everything happening here-"_

 _As she started to walk out of the room, the red fox stepped forward, stuttering and reaching out as she left:_

 _"Wait, wait, hold up-"  
_

 _Shaking her head, and careful to hide the tablet between two of the books, she kept going. The red fox tried to get in her way, with a look of concern spreading on his face. Krystal looked up at him, scowling a little, but with very tired eyes. She tried to slide past him, speaking,_

 _"Fox, please-"_

 _"Can you gimme just one second?"_ _He spoke again, interrupting her. This time, he stood in the way of the door. She gave him an exasperated look, but spoke softly, with an edge of exhaustion:_

 _"Fox..."_

 _He spoke up again, looking at her face,_

 _"Please?"_

 _"It's really none of your business, now, is it?"_ _The blue vixen snapped. She looked at his face, adopting a little snarl. She saw him flinch with a pained expression. He faltered a little, stepping back, and she slid by him with a little shove. He began to plead as she walked by:_

 _"Krystal, Come on-"_

 _"Goodbye, Fox. Come back when you aren't being a busybody-" Krystal's expression grew harder. She started up the stairs, books in hand and with the tablet in between them. He stopped following her at the stair base. He called out, again:_

 _"Just-just, level with me here, just for a second."_

 _No answer. She didn't even turn to look back. As she reached the middle of the stairway, Fox started to talk again, slowly, choosing his words carefully:_

 _"Look, just think about it. If this is true. If all of it's true, then..."_

 _He stopped as he lost his nerve. Then, right as she reached the last step, he wrought out the last words:_

 _"...You're a superhero."_

 _Krystal froze. For a few seconds, she stayed put. Then she began to shake a little. Fox gritted his teeth. Maybe he'd said the wrong thing..._

 _Suddenly, he heard a laugh. At first it sounded small, then it grew._

 _Krystal laughed, leaning against the wall a little as her expression relaxed. She smiled, looking over her shoulder. Seeing Fox's earnest expression, she laughed even harder._

 _The blue vixen turned around, still leaning against the wall as she kept laughing. This time, Fox narrowed his eyes, folding his arms as her laugh ended,_

 _"Heh, pretty funny, yeah."_

 _Fox kept his arms folded, letting his mouth hang open a little in an expression of bemusement. Seeing him, Krystal's smile faded, slowly, replaced by a bewildered expression:_

 _"Hold on, are you serious?_ _Are you daft?"_

 _The red fox spoke, this time, with a little more confidence. He stepped forwards, up the stairs:_

 _"Krystal, this is important. What else can you actually do? I'm the captain-if this can help us, I need to know-" **  
**_

 _"Why?" Krystal narrowed her eyes back at him, with no edge to her voice. She sounded earnest. Fox's expression relaxed, and he unfolded his arms as he walked up the stairs:_

 _"Look, I-I sounded like a jackass. I'm sorry. But think about it like this: I know real heroes. People who've saved lives. People who deserve their own legends. But they're not like you."_

 _"W_ _hat do you mean, 'you'?" Krystal kept the same tone. Suspicious, but earnest. Fox stopped halfway up the stairs, talking:_

 _"I mean that-" Fox halted, thinking through every word as he spoke. He felt like he could screw this up at any moment with the wrong choice of words. With one last deep breath, he kept going,_

 _"I mean that_ _for the first time in my life. For the first time maybe even in history: There's a superhero in the Lylat System. And I actually know her."_

 _The words hung in the air for a moment before Krystal put down her books and folded her arms, cocking an eyebrow with a wry look._

 _"What, do you want an autograph?" She asked dryly._

 _"No," Fox shook his head. He spoke very quietly:_

 _"I want to meet a superhero."_

 _Several seconds passed. Fox stayed at the middle of the stairway, and Krystal looked down at him from the top. After a while, she sighed and shook her head, rubbing her temples with her hands:_

 _"Ugh. Fine. I'll show you._ _But I'm going to be very honest here. I'm not good at it. Not yet."_

 _She waved him up, picking up her books before moving on. Fox walked up behind her, speaking softly:_ _"Alright. And Krys?"_

 _Krystal turned around, adjusting a few of her bangs with a tired expression. She spoke, exhausted:_ _"Yes?"_

 _Fox looked up at her face, smiling a bit. She stood the slightest bit taller than he did. Her expression softened as he said it, "...Thank you,"_

 _"Look, just..." She turned away, stopping mid-stride for a second. She let out a deep sigh, then spoke as they moved on:_

 _"Just...don't worry about it."_

* * *

Fox blinked. Waking up and lifting his head from the pillow, he looked around his cabin. Dark, with only the dim silhouettes of his desk and open closet giving any shape to the room.

Empty.

With a deep sigh, he put his head back down. For a few seconds, he hoped that the dream didn't end.

Fox knew plenty of people in his life. Out of everyone he met, though, he only called a few his friends. Even then, it took years for that to happen. Either out of habit, hunch, or hearsay, he didn't like getting close to too many people. Maybe being the leader did that, or maybe he just preferred it. Either way, it gave him the same result:

Almost no one to talk to.

Sitting up, Fox yawned and rubbed his eyes. Swinging his legs off the bed, he took his time to get the rest of himself awake. The dream still haunted him. Mostly because he missed it.

Friendships that he spent years cultivating moved on in weeks. Nothing from Falco; the last time Fox heard from Bill was during the Anglar War, years ago; Pepper slowly became too senile to talk to; and Fara took up a job at Space Dynamics, leaving behind an empty promise to keep in touch.

To be fair though, Fox reminded himself, he never reached out to her, either.

The list of people he trusted, near a dozen, gained over almost a decade shrank down by half in a year's time. He didn't make any new friends afterwards. Fox rationalized it by telling himself that you couldn't just trust anyone with your secrets, your dreams or your fears: given a month or two, or an especially nasty fight, they might use those things against you. Make friends too quickly, or trust people too easily, and they could hurt you just as quick or easily.

This outlook gave Fox a few friends that he deeply trusted. It also gave him almost no one to trust.

The same ache that he felt before talking to Katt came back: a heavy, dull pain in his chest that overshadowed every single success he felt, even the smallest. Some days, it felt far away, hidden by the faces of the people he knew and cared about. Others, he felt crushed under the weight of a thousand responsibilities, fears and failed efforts, a lot of which he put on himself with each extra mistake.

 _How can I keep fighting?_

The question pierced him. Even after shutting down the Anglars, Fox didn't feel like a winner. He lost too much. Losing his old ship, his crew, his missions, and his friends made the victory feel hollow. At this point, he struggled just to fly.

At the end of the day, the only excuse Fox came up with is that he chose this life. The only person responsible for his shrinking list of friends, his suspicion of others, and the breakup of his team is, and has always been, Fox McCloud.

Still, he had a job. As he stood from the edge of his bed, thin and exhausted, weary and pale, he still needed to fight. People counted on him. His biggest regrets included a long list of people he let down. From the first team he flew with all the way to Krystal, he couldn't hold any of them together for long.

 _ **They regretted trusting you.**_

Fox flinched visibly. The thoughts came back, needling at his conscience. With a deep breath, he pushed them out of his mind. Picking up his jacket, he saw the little pin of the fox with silver wings. He took it up in his hands. Tarnished, scratched, and with its wing bent slightly, the fox still looked whole. Seeing the old symbol, even though it looked worn and ragged, gave him the tiniest flicker of hope.

He stared at the pin for a few seconds before he spoke, "Everything they throw at me, but I'm still here,"

Fox spoke aloud, feeling the confidence build up inside him. The ache melted a little. He smiled a bit. Even after everything, Star Fox still lived. Fay, Miyu, Katt, and himself all kept it alive.

The same question came back again:

 _How can I keep fighting?_

Looking at his pin, and thinking of everyone he cared about, he knew the answer.

Instinctively.

* * *

For two weeks, things became almost mundane. The simmering pressure of the mission faded as everyone settled into a routine. They did a few more checks on the weapons and systems of each fighter, and did combat drills every few days. Drills barely went further than jumping into synchronized flight simulators and practicing coordinated attacks.

Individually, habits varied. Everyone knew the stakes for the mission, and dealt with them the best ways they knew how.

As Fox walked into the hangar, he saw one figure jogging around the edge of floor, right past the fighters. Wearing a grey sweatshirt and touting a bottle, Miyu stopped as she passed the crippled Landmaster chassis, squatting down for a moment before she took off the jacket. Jogging over to the revolving-carousel that held the ship's fighters, she leapt up to grab one of the rails. From there, she did some pull-ups, reflexively curling her legs back with each pull. A little device on her hip played pop music.

Her favorite song played, with a single feminine voice belting out a rock ballad. It helped pass time, but Miyu kept feeling an itch. She felt it as she ran checks on her craft. It wasn't just the electric feeling of takeoff; or the roar of the engines; or the rush of combat. She missed the _team._ Hell, the whole reason she signed up again was because she missed everyone else by her side.

As Fox jogged towards his own Arwing, Miyu paused, eyes following him as he moved. He wore an old red-and-black jumpsuit covered in grease stains. After a few seconds she let go of the rail, dropping down onto the ground. On the ship, she hadn't talked much to anyone but Fay. Maybe talking to Fox again would make her feel more at home.

Walking over to him, she remembered that she still wore nothing but sweatpants, a sports bra, and probably stunk. Pausing for only a second, she thought about whether or not this was the best way to look when she wanted to catch up. She shrugged the thought away. Fox wouldn't care. They knew each other for years already.

As she walked up to where the vulpine worked on his Arwing, Fox's ears perked. He looked up for a bit, then turned back to his ship, speaking, "Miyu, you need something?"

Miyu stretched her arms over her head, shaking her head as she walked, "Nah, just wanted to catch up. _Hup!-_ "

With a small exclamation, the lynx jumped onto the fighter's wing. She landed , sitting down and letting her legs hang off the side. She looked down at him and started to smile, but it faded as she saw the dark circles around his eyes. She remembered how much time already passed since they last spoke, but decided to talk anyway. Besides, she regained her smile, she missed him.

Leaning over, she spoke: "So, Fox, I've been wondering..."

He looked up, with a tired expression on his face and with hands smeared with grease:

"Yeah?"

Miyu kept going, undeterred by his expression, "I've been thinking about this mission,"

She folded her hands, resting her elbows on her knees and putting her chin on her hands, "and, well, _you_ specifically,"

Fox paused, stepped back, and cocked a single eyebrow, "Uh huh?"

"Well, Fox, I gotta be honest. How are you, really?"

The moment she said the question, Fox pressed his tongue against the inside of his cheek. He wiped his hands on a rag left on the floor, and then stepped up to Miyu. Putting his hands in his pockets, he looked up at the lynx,

"You know, you're the second person to ask me that. How bad do I look?"

"Well," Miyu rolled her eyes thoughtfully, before focusing right on him, "You look like your favorite pet was hit by a bus, and your dad just told you that it's going to burn in pet-Hell."

Fox laughed, "Ha! Yeah, that pretty much sums up the past few weeks. Or years."

He climbed up onto the fighter wing, sitting next to her. As he climbed, Miyu pulled out a candy bar, unwrapped it and took a bite. She broke it and offered half to Fox, who took it up. He kept going:

"Yeah, I've been in a bad spot for pretty much a year straight. But, then again, we're mercenaries. It's not like we aren't familiar with getting screwed for money."

Miyu smirked, "Wait, did I just hear the great Fox McCloud call himself a hooker?"

He shook his head, "Well, I mean, I wouldn't mind being a hooker," he said, scratching his neck, "I would mind being a cheap one. Good hookers are paid better than this."

Miyu snorted, "You've done a lot of escort missions, haven't you?"

Fox ate the rest of the candy bar, and spoke after he swallowed, "Oh, I'm the best at escort missions. No one better."

Miyu spoke, "I'll admit, you have the looks for it."

Fox smiled with a dry retort, "Meh, you're better-looking than I am. I smell better, though."

She laughed again, shaking her head. Her voice grew softer as she turned to him and spoke, "I missed you Fox. I really did."

The lynx looked at Fox, relaxing as she leaned back and stretched on the fighter wing.

"Yeah, I missed you too," Fox nodded, paused, then added, "Kinda."

Sitting back up, Miyu side-eyed him, then feigned a punch towards Fox's arm. He flinched. Miyu smiled, "Two for flinching,"

She punched him in the arm, twice and hard. He yelped a bit, rubbing his arm where she hit it: "Jeez, watch it! You trying to break my arm?"

"Oh, come on, Fox, don't be a wuss. That was a love tap, and you know it."

"Yeah, sure," Fox turned away and looked at the end of the hangar, still looking away, he asked a little more softly, "Miyu?"

Miyu looked up at him, a little apprehension in her heart. When she stepped up onto the ship for the first time, a cloud of dread hung over the whole mission. Fox always looked stressed, and part of her worried about whether or not things were worse than he let on. She tensed up a little, waiting for a response to confirm her fears,

"Yeah?"

Fox kept silent for a few heartbeats, then turned with a little smile, "Thanks for that. I needed it."

Miyu relaxed, feeling the dread wash away. She smiled back, "Anytime."

Fox slid down the fighter wing, and the moment he hit the floor, Fay's voice came over the speakers:

"Fox, we're coming up on Macbeth. They wanna link us up with their commander after we get cleared. Says it's important."

Fox looked up, responding, "I'll be right up."

Miyu slid off the wing, speaking, "Hmph, playtime's over, I guess. Now, If you'll excuse me, I need a shower."

After she got off the wing, Miyu felt a little better. As Fox loped away, she watched him and felt the dull dread of the unknown mission slip back a little. Looking around the ship, she felt a little more at home. Maybe this mission would turn out well after all.

* * *

The briefing room on the _Great Fox II_ included a circular stage surrounded by a railing, surrounded by seats. Katt, Miyu, and Fox stood around the stage. Fox leaned over, tapping his foot on the ground. Miyu sat in one of the seats, kicking up her legs on the row of seats in front of her. Katt rested her head on her hands, propped up by her elbows on the rail. She probed her cheek thoughtfully as she stared at the podium. Fox, tilting his head up, spoke in a raised voice:

"Fay, how much longer did they say we needed to wait?"

Fay's synthesized voice came over the speakers, "Fifteen minutes, they said."

"How long's it been?"

Fay paused, then spoke, "...about an hour."

Fox closed his eyes, tilting his head back. Katt made a one-note 'feh' noise. Miyu stretched her arms back, letting out a yawn. As she finished, Fay's voice appeared again:

"Right. Now they're hailing us. Here he his."

The stage made a weak electric hum as a holographic image flickered into view. An aged ram wearing a faded uniform stood in the middle of it. As the image solidified, the ram looked around at the people on the podium. He rested his eyes on Fox. His tired expression didn't change as he spoke:

"...Star Fox," he said the words without an ounce of friendliness or hostility. Fox and Katt kept their expressions similarly neutral. Miyu leaned forward, ears perked in interest.

Fox looked up at the ram, speaking with a relaxed tone:

"Colonel Pope, I'm here to talk about the details for the job-"

"You'll get the details," the ram held up his hand, interrupting Fox, "We'll give them to you once you dock. The only reason you're here at all is because you're on our payroll, so we're the ones with the questions. Is that clear?"

The ram kept the same neutral expression, but the interruption still made Fox narrow his eyes. Biting his tongue, he nodded once, "I understand. But, the job description explicitly stated that we would get details on arrival. We aren't hostile, sir. We're here to help."

"I'm sure you are." Pope's lip curled a little. The hairs on Fox's scalp raised a little, but he tried to keep the same expression. As Fox opened his mouth to speak, the ram kept going:

"We had to deal with an issue on our end. In the meantime, I've got questions of my own. I've heard your concerns and we'll deal with them appropriately. What I'm concerned about is the company you've kept," The ram received a holographic tablet from a black cat in uniform. Looking over the tablet, his scowl deepened. Looking back up, his voice became more terse:

"Am I supposed to understand that you're no longer in touch with Wolf O'Donnell?"

Fox paused, a confused look briefly flickering over his face. Katt stood a little straighter. Miyu stood up from her chair to get closer to the stage. The ram kept going,

"Or for that matter, do you still coordinate or communicate with any of the Star Wolf Team?" He looked straight at Fox with the same neutral, calm tone.

Fox shook his head, never taking his eyes off the ram, "No. Why would-"

The ram raised his hands again, waving off the response: "Just a formality, we needed to hear that. The reputations of mercenaries are not good, Captain McCloud. I don't think you can blame us for wanting to make sure,"

Pope relaxed a little, letting his scowl melt away as his arms fell to his sides. Focusing on Fox's suspicious expression, he relented:

"Right, so you're the second to last ones to show up. We got a few others, namely the _Whiskey Cats_ , the _Raider Titans_ _,_ and a few one-or-two pilot deals. Their names are Carrie Claw, Eagle Winters, someone named 'Chris', and two terriers under the name _Black Salt,_ "

Katt paced around the podium, flicking her tail as the ram spoke. Fox leaned forward on the railing surrounding the hologram. Miyu stood on the other side, listening intently.

"We're waiting on the _Raiders,_ but once they're here we'll come together on Macbeth, sign some stuff, then power up the warp gate and send you to Kew. The deal's off until everyone shows up."

"All right, I got the plan, but we're still in the dark here-" Fox spoke up, "you haven't given us the details we were promised-"

"And you'll have it when you get there. Calm down, merc," the dour ram gave Fox a hard look, "You'll get paid, just relax."

The condescension irritated Fox, but he bit his tongue. As he thought about what he would ask next, Katt spoke up:

"So you brought in a bunch of new guys, huh?"

Katt spoke in a perfectly calm, neutral voice. The pink feline kept her eyes focused on the ram's expression, watching intently as he screwed up his face in reply. After a second, he retorted, calmly:

"Yes, well, it's what happens when we scrape the bottom of the barrel. We have to deal with the scraps and garbage."

Miyu narrowed her eyes and gritted her teeth. Neither Fox nor Katt changed their expressions. Fox felt his anger bubble up a bit, but letting it spill over wasn't an option. He needed this job. Talking back meant losing it.

The ram looked poised to keep going when another figure briefly appeared in the hologram. A horse stepped in and whispered into the ram's ear. The ram's expression changed visibly. He looked back up at the surrounding mercs with a serious expression and spoke:

"My aide will take the rest of your questions. Excuse me,"

He got out of the frame quickly, replaced by a black cat in uniform. The cat looked more relaxed, but his expression still looked dark. He cast a look to the side before looking at Fox and sighing, "Is there anything else you need?"

The question sounded terse. For a moment, Fox felt a small knot of unease in his stomach. No real complications so far, but everyone he talked to so far acted like talking to him was painful. Not enough to raise hell over, but enough to make him wary. He asked another question:

"So, these mercenaries. Any other details on them? I need to know what our allies can do."

The cat cast another glance to his side, then answered, "Most of the others aren't very important. You and the _Whiskey Cats_ are the biggest names here. The others are the only ones who both answered _and_ passed the security check. Although,"

A pause. The cat kept going: "The _Raider Titans_ are the biggest group. Ten fighters in all. On their ship, they're hosting the _Black Salt_ terriers. Altogether, their mothership has the most fighting power, too. The _Whiskey Cats_ are an average Katinese merc outfit, but they're supposed to have a real knockout on their team. Somebody named 'Chris',"

The cat made another uneasy glance to his side. A few people raised their voices in the hologram's background. Fox's frown deepened as he saw the cat's expression grow nervous. He spoke up:

"Who's Chris? A pilot?"

The cat made a third glance, looking more nervous by the minute, but still answered:

"Chris is the pseudonym of an incredibly tough fighter pilot with legendary skills," the cat leaned in a little, speaking in a more serious tone, "apparently, this 'Chris' hijacked a prison ship that got boarded by a pirate crew with a stolen bioweapon half a year ago. Fought it in person. When the Navy intercepted the ship, Chris already killed it-it was as big as a damned frigate! The husk clung to the side of the ship with its teeth, like a skull biting into an apple. That merc's the one to watch out for. Believe me-"

The cat turned away again, with another person, a meerkat whispering into his ear. Fox heard it over the speakers,

"Same signal."

The cat turned, shocked, " _Again?_ "

The meerkat nodded, then hurried off. The cat looked up at Fox, then spoke in a near-panicked tone, "We're gonna have to explain later, something came u-

The feed abruptly cut off, leaving the center empty. The three remaining mercs, stunned, stared at the vacant podium. Fox felt the same sinking feeling curl up in his chest. The same needling fear returned in his mind. Miyu spoke first,

"What the hell-?"

"Fox, We got a problem," Fay's voice came over the speakers, talking quickly,

"Fay? What-"

"There are a lot of ships showing up on our sensors that weren't there before. Like, a friggin' fleet decloaked right outside. They're firing up their engines and there's...uh,"

Fay paused, "Oh, no."

The moment he heard the words Fox spoke up into his headset as he started towards the door of the briefing room. Katt and Miyu ran past, with both bolting headlong towards the hangar. Instinct.

Fox's dread and fear sunk beneath a single greater feeling. His focus, the result of several dogfights, scrapes, assaults and near misses, buried everything else. The needling and the dark claws in his heart felt far away as that same focus grew in his mind. His voice grew calmer:

"What? Are they attacking? Tell the fleet we're willing to assist in any way we can-"

"No, it's not just that-"

Fox looked up, narrowing his eyes at the speakers. Before he could respond, the words that came back made his blood freeze.

"-They're attacking with Arwings."


	5. Gamblers

Chapter Three

Gamblers

* * *

"Tell everyone to regroup and pull the _Great Fox II_ away from the fight. Put this message out on a loop: We are on our way. Regroup. We are on our way."

The words felt like they tumbled out of his mouth. Inside his head, he tried to put together the odds stacked against his crew.

First, the _Great Fox II_ barely classified as a warship. Most of its ECMs, armor, defensive turrets, and heavy weapons got stripped away years ago. It could barely fly, let alone fight. Its only real defense came from the small group of fighters docked inside her hangar. Even then, none of those fighters had Nova bombs, or even missiles. Old blaster cannons, stuttering shields, and 2nd-rate fusion torch engines were all they had.

Meanwhile, squadrons of ships flew outside. Fox didn't know how many, how well-trained, or even how well-equipped they were. What he did know was that the ships snuck into weapons range without being spotted; they cut communications with the Cornerian Army commander; and, to top it all off, some flew Arwings.

All these factors rushed into Fox's mind, and his heart started to sink as the odds became clearer. Still, years of experience kept his voice from cracking too much. At least, he thought so.

Fox started to run after Miyu and Katt, speaking into his communicator as he slowly regained his focus. He needed to bury the unease. The cold feeling in his chest needed to be pushed away. The best way to do that was to make sure his mind focused on something else. Anything else.

He raised his voice, and pretended calm: "Fay, we need you out of the ship cockpit and in one of the fighters. ROB will take over. "

"Right, right. Okay!" Fay responded quickly, with the sound of her voice echoing down the hall.

Miyu and Katt already clambered into their cockpits by the time Fox reached the hangar. Miyu's sleek Interceptor shut its cockpit the moment Fox entered. Katt already started powering up her engines. Her voice came over Fox's communicator, calm and focused:

"Fox, we're buckled in, ready to launch."

"Go ahead, Katt. When you go, stay close to the _Great Fox_. We'll be right behind you," Fox spoke clearly, suppressing the slowly rising panic in his chest.

"It's a bloodbath out there. The the Army needs help-"

"Do not engage. Stay close to the ship. Wait for us."

"Fox, if those really are Arwings, then they need the help right no-"

"Do not engage," Fox's voice grew harsher.

There was a pause before Katt responded: "...Alright. On our way out."

The _Great Fox II_ gave a violent shudder as the magnetic catapults launched the two fighters through the front of the ship, passing through the shield. The moment the fighters hit the shield, they phased through it. As Fox ran the Arwing's diagnostics, the massive revolver-shaped carousel moved his fighter into place along with Fay's Interceptor. The Great Fox II still rumbled under the strain of her maneuvers. Fox felt a knot in his stomach as his fighter moved onto the launch rails.

Fay's voice came in over Fox's cockpit speakers, "Ready to launch. Lights all green."

Fox's guts twisted a little as his own systems booted up. He remembered seeing videos of fighters being shot down right as they exited the hangar. Little bursts of light and smoke in a soundless vacuum. He remembered the videos from officer school. Firing at the hangar was a basic tactic-

 _No._

He interrupted his own line of thought. He needed to shake off the unease. The enemy wasn't that close, and his systems told him Katt & Miyu were still flying. They were safe, at least for now.

Fox cleared his throat and started to count down. The uneasy feeling melted away with each number as his focus returned:

"Okay. Launching in three, two, one, _go!"_

With a thundering jolt, Fox's Arwing catapulted out the front of the ship. The shield whipped past Fox's view and the wide, open space in front of the hangar swallowed his fighter. The engines rumbled to life as Fox reached forwards for a switch. Pressing it down, he spoke, quickly,

"Squadron, this Fox. Everyone group up-"

As Fox spoke, he kept his eye on his cockpit canopy. Little red triangles flitted around the darkened edges. Katt's Invader pulled into view soundlessly, it's single engine giving off a bright tail of white-hot plasma. On the panel before fox, a small holographic display showed the faces of each pilot. She already re-donned her sunglasses and wore a small smirk. Miyu's eyes looked straight ahead, focused. Fay spoke:

"Right. So they got Arwings. Not sure how many, and they knocked out base comms real fast."

Fox tilted his Arwing towards the melee, never taking his eyes off the distant fight. Before Fox could speak, another voice came in over the speakers, surprisingly calm & relaxed amidst the fray:

"All ships, regroup at the warp gate, we're powering it up and preparing to launch. We've marked your IFF tags, people, we're bugging out. If your tag is off, you're getting left behind-don't let that happen."

The extra image, flickering at the edge of the cockpit, held the face of a cheetah with a maroon beret. Little constellations studded her uniform collar. A single tooth on one side kept sneaking out from beneath the edge of her lips as she barked out orders.

"General, we're on our way, tell your pilots we're closing in-"

"Mr. McCloud, I'm flattered that you're thinking of us out here, but you misunderstand. We're not the ones you need to worry about."

Before Fox could respond, the general's face lit up as she looked down at a screen before her:

"We already got our comms back up and we're regrouping. You _,_ on the other hand, are getting some fresh company."

"We know, _General_ , we're coming in to save your tails." Katt scowled as she replied, the cheetah ignored her and spoke again:

"You're being followed."

A short pause.

"Our long-range scanners picked up something sneaking up behind you. They've also got a squadron in tow-"

"...Understood, General. We'll deal with it, then try and get close enough for the warp gate to grab us," Fox clipped back, looking back at his own systems to try and spot the new ships

"Yeah, you'd better."

The General's feed cut off, leaving behind a fuming Katt: "That...bitch. I see another brasshat mouth off at us like that, I'll pop 'em."

"Heh. 'Brasshat'. Gonna have to write that one down-" Fay smiled a little, before another communication came in.

For a second, Fox thought it came from the Cornerian fleet. Instead, the communication approached from behind.

From the ships sneaking up on them.

Fox steeled himself. He buried any ounce of uncertainty he had, even though he didn't know what to expect. He needed to be prepared for the inevitable enemy threats-

"This is a general distress call from the _Great Wolf._ We're being tailed by hostiles, and we need support, repeat-"

The gruff drawl surprised Fox, wiping away his apprehension. Miyu's jaw dropped as she mouthed the word 'What?'. Katt's fuming expression evaporated as her sunglasses slid down her muzzle over a dumbstruck look. Fay squinted as she saw the brand-new face among them.

"Star Fox, I _know_ you're listening, damn it-" The new pilot, a lupine face with a black eyepatch, kept growling at them.

"Wolf, hang on, what the hell is happening-" As Fox responded, Wolf snarled back:

"WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE, DUMBASS? WE'RE GETTING KILLED OUT HERE BY ARWINGS AND IF WE-"

More voices chimed in as Wolf kept growling. More frightened ones.

One new face, an opossum, struggled to keep his voice down: "We've lost another deck. Panther & Eagle are getting absolutely hammered-Leon's guns are gone-"

"Damn it," Wolf's teeth gritted. A creeping edge seeped into his voice as he turned back to Fox.

"Fox. Your team owes us. Big time. We pulled your asses out of the fire with the bugs. Let us land."

The last few words cracked mid-sentence.

Fox found himself replying immediately, looking straight at Wolf's face:

"We have space for a dozen fighters, twenty-four if you count the hangar floor. How many do you have left?"

"We got eight flying _-"_

A muffled explosion came from behind Wolf, his expression darkened:

"...Seven. We have ten grounded. Two can fly, but they're unarmed-"

"Get who you can in the the craft you have left. We'll give cover. Send the ones you can spare to help us fight them off." Wolf nodded, then cut off his feed. As he looked back to his crew, fox felt the unease return, but he pushed it away. He turned to Katt:

"Alright. We're going to tie down the chasers while Wolf gets his crew on our ship-"

"-Unsupervised?" Fay raised her voice with the question.

Fox snapped back: "Judgement call. I can't afford to fight these guys unless our whole squadron's here. Wolf needs to land his people, and we're short on time."

Miyu focused on her screen, tightening her gloves. Katt shook her head with a little half-scowl as she adjusted her sunglasses: "Y'know, Fox, I know that helping them is the 'right thing to do', but you could've, y'know, made them beg a little for it. Just a little."

Fox felt a small laugh escape his lips. The unease fell back even further as he felt his resolve grow. People counted on him. His team, too.

As his squadron closed in on the _Great Wolf_ , some fighters peeled away to join him. A familiar deep purring filled the speakers:

"Believe it or not, we're actually quite very happy to see all of you."

"How many are with you, Panther?" Fox kept a calm tone as he went through all the factors involved in the fight.

"Just myself, Eagle and two others over there. Wolf is getting the others to your ship. He'll make sure they don't fly off without us."

"That's reassuring-WHOA."

Right as Fay nodded with mock calm, a missile streaked past Fox's cockpit. The Arwings started to litter his HUD with little red wireframes.

"Everyone, break formation and engage-give Wolf some cover-"

Katt's voice sounded over the speakers,

"Uh, Fox, we've got a real bad problem here-"

"What? What is it?"

"The home fleet-it's getting torn apart," Katt's voice shook as her teeth chattered.

"How bad?"

"They're outnumbered, and I don't think we can turn this around-WHOA-"

Katt yelled as a bolt collided with her shields. Fighters swarmed past. Fox felt dark claws wrapping around his chest again. The crushing feeling sank down like a stone in his heart, making his teeth chatter.

 ** _It's bad._**

Fox clenched his teeth. The same dark thoughts, needling his conscience, came back, full force.

"It's behind me! Somebody help!" A yelp came over the speakers, joined by another, then another.

"I'm hit! I'm hit! I'm losing control-"

"Where is everyone?! Damn it, somebody!"

"This is the _Great Wolf_ , we are evacuating all hands, repeat, we are evacuating all hands-"

"WOLF, WOLF, PLEASE-"

Too many voices, crying, for help.

 _ **Too many of them.**_

Fox pulled on his controls, hard. As the fight drew closer to the warp gate, his radar lit up as more and more ships came into view.

Twenty. Thirty. Fifty.

Eighty.

"Fox, watch it someone's-"

 _CRACK!_

Fox's Arwing jolted as something hit it. Snapping out of his stupor, Fox growled as he regained control. Pulling up, he maneuvered to follow his target. The target's signature, a little red square on his cockpit, rolled out of the way at lightning speed.

Pulling the trigger, Fox let his Arwing cannons fire. In the corner of his cockpit, a little counter ticked down rapidly with each shot. Again, the signature moved too quickly for him to see it clearly.

"Star Fox, this is the _Wildcat_. Group up around us, we're getting ready to jump." A new voice spoke quickly. Fox only grunted in response.

"More coming in from above! Look up!"

Before Fox could react, three more signatures appeared. All above him. He only saw the little red boxes, darting in and out of sight. Too far away to make out beyond the flashing of their guns and the flares of their engines. The lights flashed in bursts, disappearing just as quickly as they appeared.

Pulling away from his pursuit of the first fighter, he rolled to the side. Projectiles raked his ship. Alarms sounded in his cockpit. One more growl, and Fox pulled up. As the ships closed in, he pulled his trigger again. The Arwing's guns thundered, and the satisfying sight of ships coming apart filled his screen as two of the oncoming fighters went down.

The feeling was short-lived. As he turned towards the remaining two, another series of blasts shook his Arwing. Fox clenched his teeth harder as his shields dipped into the red, with warning lights and panels highlighting the portions of his ship that suffered hits. As his ship shook harder, he wheeled around, trying to hit the remaining two ships. Pulling the trigger again, his shots met empty space as the enemy fighters dodged again.

A robotic voice came over the speakers. ROB's monotone sounded off:

"MAN. YOU. ALL. CON. TROLL. EN. GAUGED."

Wolf's face appeared again, this time, surrounded by the _Great Fox II's_ cockpit.

"Right, then. We're heading back. Get your fighters inside, _Star Fox,_ we're getting out of here-"

"Wolf, put your squadron in the _Great Fox II_ , we're warping out of here with the fleet!-" Fox interrupted as he pulled away from the fight. Wolf, in pure disbelief, stared at him:

"I'm positive I misheard that."

Fox spoke as quickly as he could: "Wolf, our fighters & the Great Fox II are tagged to jump with the fleet! Just get inside or you'll get left behind-"

"Rrgh. Fine." Wolf growled back as he cut off his feed. Right as he did, another fighter appeared before Fox's view.

Fox locked onto the remaining fighter. It returned the favor, firing back at Fox as he closed in. He pulled his trigger. Shots ripped out, and as the enemy fighter exploded, Fox felt his own ship break.

A terrific bang, and the shriek of tearing metal filled Fox's cockpit. The alarms screamed at him. Looking down at the Arwing's front panel, Fox saw an entire engine diagram lit in red. Looking to the side of his cockpit, an entire wing sheared away to reveal wires and white-hot metal frame. The speakers kept going,

"This is the _Whiskey Wildcat_ , we are at the gate and holding."

"GREAT. FOX. TAR. GET. ED. HULL. IN. TEG. GRIT. TEA. AT. HALF. STRENGTH."

"This is the _Rat Raider_! We've lost our shields and decks two and three-"

"We are activating the gate. Everyone, hold them off-"

Dozens of voices, yelling out frantic orders. As Fox looked back up, more lights filled his screen.

 ** _Too many._**

"HULL. IN. TEG. GRIT. TEA. CRIT. TICK. ALL."

"Fox, they've just finished picking up the last of Wolf's crew. We're at the gate-" Fay piped up before another voice roared out:

"BEHIND YOU!"

Fox snapped his eyes up as another fighter signature appeared. Fox rolled away, pushing his one remaining Arwing engine to its limit. Shots flew past him as he moved. Throttling forward, he tried to get a lock on the other fighter, only to see it dodge out of the way.

More warnings filled Fox's screen as even more fighters appeared. All flying at him.

The shock didn't even last for a second before Fox's instincts kicked back in. He throttled away, pushing his ship's one engine to propel him towards the gate. The Arwings closed in as Fox gritted his teeth. The distance between them shrunk. More shots flew past his cockpit. More voices:

"We've lost the _Rat Raider_! We've lost-"

"This is the _CSS Pepper_ , all ships prepare for warp!"

"Fox, hang on!"

"HULL. FAIL. YOU'RE. IM. MIN. ENT."

 ** _Too many._**

Fox's fighter started to make an unnatural whining sound as it moved, and the Arwings started to shoot.

On his screen, a blip marking the _Great Fox II_ disappeared.

Little green lights disappeared, swamped by red ones.

 ** _Too many._**

More cracks, more shaking. The sound of rending metal.

He could smell the circuits burning.

 ** _Too many._**

Fox's shot counter blacked out.

The cockpit felt hot.

 ** _Too many-_**

Quickly, two fighters swooped in, breaking the attacking Arwings' formation. An Interceptor and an Invader.

One of them yelled at him.

"FOX! GET BACK!-"

Then, light.

Bright light.


End file.
